Freedom of expression and an individual’s unique creativity are inherent in the world of art.

As WAB art teachers and students around the world transitioned to online learning, there were questions about how certain projects could continue. But as teacher teams came together to brainstorm how to transition online without sacrificing learning opportunities, the answer was to embrace flexibility and each individuals’ approach to art.

“We have to be flexible about the projects we can do, and how students can access the material,” said Middle School Art Teacher Corrie Salerno said. “I didn’t want to add more stress to my students. I wanted art to be something they enjoyed doing during this time. Art is therapeutic. It’s also good for them to have a creative outlet that’s off of screens.”

In Middle School, Corrie said, they had to make some adjustments to planned projects, such as paper-mache. They transitioned to a study of Frida Kahlo, giving students the opportunity to use whatever materials they could find around them.

“They were able to use any material around them. It could be digital, pen, pencil, or found materials,” Corrie said. “They really went with it!”

In Grades 10 and 11, students initially focused their studies on the investigation and exploration of inspiring artists. Tasks were broken down, so teachers could track student progress. Now, shifting back to creating art, the teachers have taken an approach based on wisdom shared by one of the world’s most famous artists. 

“When your curriculum is concept driven it is much easier to be flexible when circumstances change,” Teacher Sue Hunter said. “Though it is really difficult for some students, it has helped us to emphasize that you don't need special materials to make art! As Leonardo da Vinci said, ‘Art lives from constraints and dies from freedom.’” 

In the Elementary School, the team of teachers also saw the value in flexibility and have been impressed with students’ and parents’ resilience with the subject.

“We have to be flexible with materials and students have been quite creative,” teacher Tarna Eupene said. “We have had students completing painting activities with coffee, drawing exercises on their iPads using a drawing app, and using many different kinds of paper - including making their own patterned paper - for collage activities.”

Teachers have aimed to create a program that would keep their normal learning on track and have utilized different tools to make that happen. Student’s studied color wheels inspired by Georgia Fee, still life, and other topics. They have also added extra optional work, like the daily drawing challenge, which many students have really enjoyed.

Part of the creative process, however, is getting feedback from peers. For this, students have uploaded their work to FlipGrid, where their classmates can view and comment on the work.

“Students were able to see each other’s artwork from different grades and give feedback to one another, an important part of the artistic process.”